Field of Invention
The subject matter of this disclosure relates to tuning control systems and string anchoring mechanisms for stringed musical instruments. More particularly, the subject matter of this disclosure relates to gearless tuners for easy string installation and tuning of stringed musical instruments.
Description of Related Art
Musical instruments produce sounds. Sound is typically a mechanical wave traveling through a compressible medium at a frequency within the range of human hearing. A hearing-frequency vibrating wave may be produced in air via vibrating a surface. Accordingly, musical instruments have employed vibrating surfaces as a means for producing sound.
Stringed musical instruments produce sound via vibrating the surface of tautly suspended and plucked strings. The quality of the sound produced by a vibrating string depends on the tautness of the string. As a result, strings are usually tautly suspended over a stringed instrument by fixedly mounting a first end of the string to the instrument and adjustably mounting the other end to the instrument so that the tautness and corresponding sound quality of the string may be adjusted. In other words, strings of a string instrument are tuned by tautening or slacking the string via manipulating the adjustable end.
Many systems exist for adjusting the tautness (i.e., tuning) of strings in a stringed instrument. A well-known system involves fixedly securing one end of a string to an anchor while adjustably attaching the other end to a winding mechanism. Usually, the winding mechanism is a peg wherein the peg is rotated to wind the string until the desired tension is imparted across the string against the anchor.
Winding mechanisms, such as a rotatable peg, utilize gear arrangements. Tuning systems with winding means can become less accurate as the gears wear down with use. Additionally, attaching the string to these types of tuning mechanisms can sometimes be tedious and difficult.
In view of the foregoing, gearless tuners have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5.277,095 to Steinberger discloses a tuner for stringed musical instruments wherein one end of a string is anchored to the neck of the instrument while the other end is attached to the tip of a screw that is positioned into a stationary nut receptacle on the soundboard, which soundboard amplifies the vibration of a plucked string. In Steinberger's tuner, unscrewing the screw tautens the string to the proper tension. One disadvantage associated with this gearless tuning mechanism is that the sound produced by the guitar is inhibited due to dampening of the soundboard vibrations via the string being mechanically secured to the soundboard.